Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  So much right in one car. - 2016 Volkswagen Passat
  By Galen Gareis - June 28 - 3:35 am

  I keep my cars 15 to 20 years. So quick study isnt my thing...but thats what you go on when you buy newer and own them for decades. I looked at all the usual suspects in the mid sized / mid priced (like 30K is cheap?) segment. For the record, I drive a 2008 FORD Focus and a 1999 E320 Mercedes so Im shooting for ONE car that jams those two together into a single package. The information gathering is shown below, on this pretty remarkable and overlooked VW PASSAT; http://wardsauto.com/test-drives/vw-s-new-18l-turbo-delivers-efficiency-road-mbs http://wardsauto.com/2015/2015-winner-vw-18l-turbocharged-dohc-4-cyl http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/08/20130829-ea888.html http://vwts.ru/engine/byt/byt_bzb_1_8_tsfi_eng.pdf If your still with me after looking over the above, this car has ALSO received the top safety pick for cars in its size range. So we have safety, technological sophistication (EA888 1.8L engine and user friendly dash interface), real world economy / mileage with a true sedan shape and efficiency. It doesnt hurt the FORBES study show that the 1.8L PASSAT is a 250,000 mile capable car (http://www.forbes.com/pictures/ehmk45efjfd/7-volkswagen-passat/). The 2016 PASSAT meets or exceeds my E320 in actual space and blows it away in efficiency. Its darn near what my 2008 FOCUS reaches (The FOCUS is a LIGHT 2600 pound car that gets 36-37 MPG average) in mileage!! User reports from doubting Thomass (I was, too!) report 35 MPG in real world use. So this car meets the requirement of a cost effective well built car that gets decent mileage. I didnt need more power than the E320 had, but actually wanted better economy and GOOD power. This engine delivers. Drive one, youll see. The styling is a stark RELIEF to the catfish mouthed and insect derived massive black plastic front ends of todays me too cars. Old fashioned you say? My E320 is 17 years old and still looks sharp as ever and the PASSAT will age just as well. A legacy SEDAN greenhouse shape, not coupe with four doors (see the CC model) is great to drive and live with. Four minutes into the test drive it felt like I owned the car forever. The steering is light but the car is tightly buttoned down offsetting this some. It tracks superbly, too. So it gets tighter as you speed-up but this car is intended to not be "heavy" handed. Why people insist on a sports car attribute across the board when this is a SEDAN Ill never know. Sports cars are occasion cars, this is an every day car. Quiet as my E320, wow. - The brakes are slightly odd, in that the pedal is initially soft but has a good deal of bite, then they quickly firm-up and respond to increased pedal PRESSURE, not movement. They dont droop to the floor, however, but just have some initial softness. Im used to older cars with far less brake circuitry stealing away some tactile feel. - The 6-speed torque converter trans. shifts well, but DOES go to the highest gear as you lift off the pedal. And, it will hunt for the highest gear sooner the lighter you use the pedal. SPORT mode makes it easier to keep it pulling smoothly. This isnt the touted Dual Clutch, and doesnt have problems common to DCT, either. 38 MPG and 25 MPG in town say its still efficient. - The interior of a car should be nice, and also easy to keep clean. Doors that open into the rain and snow should NOT be covered in material that stains (cloth, suede, ETC) in my book. A-pillars and B-pillars should also be easy to clean as these are natural grab handles for dirty hands. I like the PASSATs choice of high grade vinyl or TPE (it is hard to tell if it is a TEP or TPR) as it is good feeling yet easy to clean. This is a car, it will get dirty! Let me clean it please...and yes they did. - Seating is excellent minus the ability to tip the seat bottom cushion up or down. But, the angle is correct as is and few will really see need to move it. If you do, you cant. The steering wheel has more than ample up-down and in-out to suit even my 48" wifes reach. This car as a good range of fit for about any driver. - The new electronic dash is nice but better yet, the HVAC are still DIALS and BUTTONS! YA! so quick get in and go on cold mornings is easy. The secondary controls are touch screen items. There are a series of buttons on the side of the display that get you close to where you need to go, too. This is a very good "hybrid" execution. Not too much in the way of buttons (crowded dash) and not too few (clean but hard to use / navigate). My premium model has the FENDER that is well rated. - Im not a fan of the bigger wheel, that I thing are stupid on an every day car. They are heavier, more prone to damage and expensive for what? Slightly better racer boy response (seldom) and looks (mostly). Count me out, I think that the 17" 55 series wheels are far more realistic in everyday use. Far cheaper, wear longer and better riding. Oh, huge 15.9 foot cubed trunk and 18,5 gallon tank.

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  Well built Sedan- Peppy engine &great fuel economy - 2016 Volkswagen Passat
  By DGT - May 20 - 5:58 am

  Those in the market for misize sedan should test drive this car before making a purchase decision. Passat is an excellent sedan. Quick acceleration, plenty of low end torque, comfortable ride, quiet and very very spacious cabin. This is a drivers car, excellent visibility, large side windows add to it. Touchscreen is average but responsive. I have not had any problems with it. Rearview camera guides are very useful. This is my 3rd car and I use this for daily commute. I have put in about 2500 miles so far and I still enjoy driving this car. Engine is very peppy and acceleration is brisk. The car feels very composed and in control at highway speeds. On an average I get about 34 to 35mpg in mixed driving. Design is conservative and it looks good to my eyes. This is my first german sedan. My other cars are Japanese luxury brands. I do not know about long term reliability but from the way the car is put together it should last a long time. The one negative I can think of is that the AC air vents are a bit noisy even at low fan speeds.

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  Disapointed in Volkswagen as a first time customer - 2016 Volkswagen Passat
  By Patrick Hay - December 31 - 3:08 pm

  I purchase a 2016 R-Line Passat within the first week was back for alignment and not 4 weeks after owning found spots on hood and the dealer wants to keep a 4 week old car for a week and a half to repaint the hood. The biggest disappointment is the misleading pricing by VW and complete lack or support and knowledge of the car wanted to have Remote Start installed relatively common and listed as option on VW sit for $246 MSRPP. Dealer wanted to charge $1200 saying multiple parts needed to be replaced. I found VW published document that stated that was not needed the document was attained from a VW site and was copyright protected by VW. VW denied that it was their document and incorrect. After a month trying to track this down Dealer finally admitted the VON check was coming up incorrect in the system not reflecting the lighting package. Now the car has been at the dealer for 2 days they cant get the remote starter installed and now need to get a part that is going to have to come from Germany and take 15 days to arrive. I have Contacted customer care and have been told for week they will get back to me next business day and they have not provided anything of substance. Terrible experience as first time VW customer the support is horrible!

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  Beautiful Luxury without the Luxury Price - 2016 Volkswagen Passat
  By H.Sly - May 11 - 9:26 am

  It has a much smaller trunk than I anticipated, but will do the job for daily use. The motion-sensor trunk open is a little hit or miss, but perhaps I just need to acclimate to exactly where I am to shake my foot underneath for it to open. The voice command says that my USB device (iPod) is not supported in order to find an artist/track, so that was a bummer. Everything else is so intuitive and fluid. Rear blind spot lights are an interesting feature, though I am afraid one may place too much reliance on it. The final feature that surprised me is that the backup camera does not have sensors to alert you if youre too close to an object. Otherwise, the 1.8T holds up well and I look forward to driving it up I-70 into the mountains this spring.

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  love my passat and support vw! - 2016 Volkswagen Passat
  By Edward Zhao - December 22 - 10:45 am

  i love Passat from my first look at this car (i also test drove and like subaru legacy ), which is obviously very nice and very well built in every detail. design is both classical, detailed and appropriate. the ride is very comfortable and quiet. engine is enough for me or even pretty strong if you press pedal hard. very roomy for second row guests. i got Passat at a great price partly because of recent diesal scandal. although i love it, i was hesitant due to some bad comments. but once i get it, i fell in love it, and dis not have any issues so far. i cant comment on long term reliability, but the initial quality, original parts, assembly are in high quality and flawless. it is way way better than my toyota cars in terms of premium feeling and detailed consideration. safety is very good and actually my top reason to pick this car. mine passat is just the base model, but are still well equipped. compared to Passat, my toyotas (rav4, matrix) is much simpler, but has been proved to be super reliable. vw now has problems, but i think a company that builds such a nice, quality car (especially on the fundamental side which demonstrate its responsibility and professionalism), deserve my love and support. if other vw models are similarly competitive on pricing as my Passat, i may only buy vw in the future.

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  Newly purchased Passat - 2016 Volkswagen Passat
  By shahab khan - January 28 - 6:19 pm

  Good car for daily commute. High cost of optional items. Large price variations between the dealers

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  Seats are killing my back - 2016 Volkswagen Passat
  By Steve W. - September 21 - 11:41 am

  Front seats are not supportive, too concave and the headrest is too far forward. Didnt seem so bad when I test drove, but my back started hurting right after I bought the car, and its now killing me. Im average height 511"

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  An almost perfect car. - 2016 Volkswagen Passat
  By Milford Rick - December 2 - 10:05 pm

  The 2016 Volkswagen Passat is a prefect choice for those looking for a midsize sedan with a quiet, spacious cabin and a comfortable ride. This car has Roomy cabin , refined and quiet ride , powerful and fuel-efficient engines with top safety scores. The one problem I have with the car is the amount of frontal storage space. I dont if it was just my last car had extra storage space The car handles great and the touch screen system works well. Over all a great car I would personally recommend.

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  my new ride - 2016 Volkswagen Passat
  By John Cassidy - November 18 - 7:04 pm

  Great car great deals

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  Peppy Passat - 2016 Volkswagen Passat
  By Betsy Money - October 26 - 8:47 am